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This pair of problems evaluates array manipulation and algorithmic problem-solving skills, specifically order-statistics for selecting the k-th largest element and maximizing consecutive sequences under constrained transformations for the vacation streak problem.

  • medium
  • Meta
  • Coding & Algorithms
  • Software Engineer

Find K-th Largest and Longest Vacation

Company: Meta

Role: Software Engineer

Category: Coding & Algorithms

Difficulty: medium

Interview Round: Technical Screen

Solve the following two coding problems. 1. **Find the k-th largest element** Given an integer array `nums` and an integer `k`, return the element that would appear at index `k` if the array were sorted in **descending** order. Assume `k` is **0-indexed**, so: - `k = 0` means the largest element - `k = 1` means the second largest element - and so on **Example:** - `nums = [5, -3, 9, 1]` - `k = 0` -> `9` - `k = 1` -> `5` - `k = 3` -> `-3` 2. **Maximize the longest vacation using PTO** You are given a calendar year represented as a character array containing only: - `H` = holiday - `W` = workday You are also given an integer `pto`, representing how many workdays you may convert into vacation days by using Personal Time Off. Your goal is to maximize the length of the **longest consecutive vacation streak**, where a vacation day is either: - an existing holiday (`H`), or - a workday (`W`) that you choose to cover with PTO Return the maximum possible length of such a consecutive streak. **Example:** - `calendar = [W, H, H, W, W, H, W]` - `pto = 2` - Output: `5` **Explanation:** By using PTO on two appropriate workdays, you can create a longest contiguous vacation block of length 5.

Quick Answer: This pair of problems evaluates array manipulation and algorithmic problem-solving skills, specifically order-statistics for selecting the k-th largest element and maximizing consecutive sequences under constrained transformations for the vacation streak problem.

Zero-Indexed Kth Largest

Return the element at index k after sorting nums in descending order.

Constraints

  • Inputs are Python literals matching the function signature.
  • Return a deterministic exact-match value.

Examples

Input: ([5,-3,9,1], 0)

Expected Output: 9

Explanation: k=0 is largest.

Input: ([5,-3,9,1], 3)

Expected Output: -3

Explanation: k=3 is smallest in four elements.

Input: ([2,2,1], 1)

Expected Output: 2

Explanation: Duplicates count as separate positions.

Hints

  1. Clarify edge cases before coding.
  2. Keep the return value deterministic.

Longest Vacation With PTO

Return the longest contiguous block containing at most pto workdays, where holidays and covered workdays count as vacation.

Constraints

  • Inputs are Python literals matching the function signature.
  • Return a deterministic exact-match value.

Examples

Input: ('WHHWWHW', 2)

Expected Output: 5

Explanation: Use PTO to create a length-5 vacation block.

Input: ('WWW', 1)

Expected Output: 1

Explanation: Only one workday can be covered.

Input: ('HHH', 0)

Expected Output: 3

Explanation: Existing holidays form the full streak.

Hints

  1. Clarify edge cases before coding.
  2. Keep the return value deterministic.
Last updated: Jun 27, 2026

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